Endorsement of the National Prison Strike beginning on August 21st, 2018

The DSA National Climate & Environmental Justice Working Group Steering Committee has heard the call from incarcerated people across the nation, and has voted to endorse the National Prison Strike beginning on August 21st, 2018.

We recognize the inherent inhumanity of putting people in cages, but also emphasize that a world with prisons cannot be compatible with our vision of ecosocialism. We know that in ever-worsening Texas heat, four out of five inmates do not have access to air conditioning. We know that prisons pollute air, contaminate rivers, and perpetuate a vicious cycle of environmental racism and class warfare inflicted on Black, brown, and poor communities across the country. We know, simply, that prisons and policing are the continuation of a racist, genocidal project that dates back to before the founding of the United States, and are incompatible with a social system that treats humans, the planet, and the ecosystems we share with dignity and respect.

We are proud to stand in solidarity with the incarcerated people and organizations that will be participating in this strike, and commit to amplifying their voices. Eugene Debs said, “While there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” We must take this message to heart and work to build a world where all are free.

In Solidarity,

The Steering Committee of the DSA Climate & Environmental Justice Working Group